The Dark Side of The Sun
by OregonSweetie
Summary: We all believe we can leave the past behind but can we ever truly do so? LH, NH
1. The Wrong Band

-1Well all, I'm back with a new story. This story has been a long time work in progress that I have debated about posting. I am going to update this story and AFY as much as possible during my break from school. This is very different from anything I've written, so I'm a little nervous about it. Let me know what you think! Thanks to everyone who has encouraged me about this fic! I love you all!

Just a few little notes that will help clear things up! Nathan and Lucas are half brothers but Deb took off just after Nathan was born and Karen was still in love with Dan at the time, so they eventually made things work. Thus, the boys were raised together. Also, Haley is a year younger than the boys which you should be able to pick out soon but I didn't want anyone to be really confused. I really wanted to put this back story in there somewhere but it didn't fit in the chapters and it will become important as we go along.

Rating: 4 to be safe. Any chapters that are higher will be marked individually.

Disclaimer: All characters are property of Mark Schwahn and Warner Bros. Television. No copyright infringement is intended.

**The Dark Side of the Sun**

**Chapter 1-The Wrong Band**

The sun glittered off her honey blonde hair as she stood alone in the middle of the lavishly furnished living room. The tears poured silently down her cheeks as she looked at the picture that sat on the mantle above the fireplace. The picture that represented how everything in life should have been; it was her constant reminder of everything her life would never be.

She glanced down at the gold ring that sat on her left finger. It was a 2 carat round diamond in the center with a one carat diamond on either side. It was elegant enough to be Haley but more than enough to let to any man around know that she was taken.

The light bounced off of the diamonds and shattered around the room. It was ironic, she thought, that's exactly how she felt inside. She was broken and had been for a while. If you were to pass her on the street you might be envious of the girl that appeared to have everything. But the simple fact was that she was broken and the worst part was even those who knew her best had no idea how she felt.

She was Haley James. She was a successful record label executive who got to work with her best friend's on a daily basis. She was engaged to a wonderful and caring man who knew her backwards and forwards. Yes, from all appearances she had the life that most women dreamed about. But for her instead of feeling liberated in the face of all she had, she felt like a prisoner in her own life.

The chiming of the clock on her left broke her out of her reverie and reminded her that she was still living and that life came with responsibilities that included her fiancé coming home at almost the same time everyday he went into the office. Haley walked briskly into the kitchen in order to have time to wash her face. Today was not a day she wanted to deal with him realizing something was wrong with her because today she might just tell him and that would be disastrous for all involved. She dipped her hands into the cool water that flowed from the faucet and let herself believe for a moment that everything would be alright. She let herself believe that the water she was splashing on her face was cleansing her soul and erasing the part of her past that kept her from feeling fulfilled in her life.

She suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist as her fiancé came to stand behind her. He rested his chin against her shoulder and he drew her back to his chest. She sighed as she relaxed back into him. It was moments like these that she knew she was making the right decision. He would never hurt her, he would make sure that she felt cherished and loved every single day of her life. And that was going to be enough for her, it had to be.

"How was work?" she asked softly, breaking the comfortable silence that hung in the air between them.

He tightened his arms around her before answering. "It was alright. I spent most of the day missing you and wishing I had just worked from home today."

Haley laughed. "You had to go into the office today, you had that really important meeting. You know the one with your publisher, how did that go?"

"Oh that little thing?" he teased her, knowing that she was too naturally curious for her own good. "I guess it went alright, they want to reproduce the copy of the last book in another language and publish the next one as soon as the editors are done with it."

Haley's eyes lit up in excitement as she let out a squeal and turned around in his arms to face him. Just because she wasn't truly happy in life didn't mean that she didn't want him to be successful. He had always been there for her and she in turn was going to do anything to support him. She glanced into his glacier blue eyes. They were soft and kind but they didn't have the shimmer that the other set of blue eyes she had so adoringly stared into did. She leaned up and pressed a soft kiss onto his lips.

"I'm so happy for you Luke. You deserve it. I know how hard you have worked to make this book exactly what you dreamed it would be. I am so proud of you." Haley said, beaming up at him as she stood there with his arms still wrapped around her.

Lucas tightened his grip on her waist, once again thinking of just how lucky he was, he had the love of his life and his best friend who were all wrapped up into the same person. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think this would happen to him, he had loved her for so long and now she finally loved him back.

His fingers began to trace light circles across her back in a soothing manner. Haley let out a sigh and leaned her body into his chest. She breathed in his familiar sent and took comfort in the safeness that she felt in his arms. She shook her head as she felt the tears spring to her eyes, she didn't deserve him, she really didn't and that is why she was determined to do anything she had to in order to make their relationship work.

Lucas let Haley remain in his arms for a few more moments before pulling her away so he could look into her eyes. He used his thumb to wipe away the solitary tear that had traced its way down her cheek. His brow furrowed and the concern was evident in his bright blue eyes.

"What's wrong Hales?"

"I, umm, it's nothing. You know I'm just stressed out with this new account at work and the girls are coming over to plan the engagement party and the wedding and you know how Brooke is with these types of things, she just loves them and I don't want to fight with her about things and now I'm rambling. Sorry."

Lucas let out a throaty chuckle and placed a kiss on Haley's forehead. "Hales, Brooke isn't a monster. She loves weddings but she is going to listen to you because this is your day and she's well aware of that."

"I know. It's just she's going to ask me so many questions about what I want and I'm not sure what I want because I'm not sure what you want. You see how this gets all screwed up?"

"Are you really telling me that you, Haley James, don't know how you want your wedding to be? Haley, you made me play wedding with you when you were like 7, so I have a hard time believing that you don't know exactly what you want your wedding day to be like." Lucas gave her a smirk trying to get her to calm down and think about how amazing it was that they were getting married.

"But this isn't my wedding day, it's our wedding day and you, Lucas Scott, aren't being very helpful." Haley huffed as she looked at his still smirking face.

Lucas quickly closed the small gap between them, pulling her flush against his body. There had been years when he had longed to do this but couldn't and now that he could, he promised himself he wouldn't waste a minute of it. He ducked his head and down brushed his lips softly against hers. Haley stood motionless, her brain whirling like a tornado that was just touching down. This was all wrong, she knew it and yet there was no going back. Lucas pulled his head back to stare at her quizzically.

"Are you sure you're alright Hales?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I just really should run upstairs and grab all the wedding stuff, Brooke would have a cow if I didn't have it all ready when she got here." Haley put her hands against Lucas' chest, pushing herself away from him, desperately hoping that the space between them would give her a second to get her head back on straight. Lucas dropped his hands from her waist and watched as Haley fled up the stairs and turned the corner towards their bedroom.

Haley checked behind her to make sure he hadn't followed her up the stairs as she entered the room. She quietly clicked the lock before walking over to her closet and wrenching it open as quickly as she could. Her hands sought out the box almost as if they were moving of their own free will. They knew exactly what she wanted, what she needed. She felt the smooth edges of the box and grasped her fingers around the edges tightly. As the box moved easily out of its hiding spot, she felt her heart clench, she knew she needed to do this, it was the only way to put it all behind her.

Clutching the box closely to her she moved over to the bed placing both herself and the box in the center. She swiped at the tears that were already falling down her cheeks before pulling off the lid. Inside lay one single book, the book that held her every hope and dream. Opening the front cover she allowed herself to think one last time about all those dreams that would never come true.

**4 Years Earlier**

Haley stood in the middle of her bedroom surrounded by wedding magazines that had been categorized by those that she thought would be most useful in the planning process. Her older sister Quinn was getting married and Haley as the maid of honor had the duty of planning the wedding. Normally, the maid of honor was just around to help out with the planning but when Quinn had mentioned getting married at City Hall, Haley had taken it upon herself to make sure her sister had a dream wedding.

Haley located the first magazine and began to read the articles. She was a person who believed that research was the best way to make sure that anything was done properly. She started making a list of all the things that would need to be done and was so engrossed in what she doing that she nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt hands on her shoulders. She heard the familiar throaty chuckle that belonged to her boyfriend and took a deep breath.

"You scared me." She said leaning her head back into him as he peered over her shoulder to look at what she had been working on.

"Really? I would have never guessed." Haley could hear the smirk in his voice without even looking up at his face. He glanced down at the magazine she had before her and then surveyed the rest of the room taking note of all the wedding stuff. "Hales, I know this may be a stupid question, but isn't the bride supposed to plan the wedding?"

"Yes, the bride is supposed to plan but since the bride doesn't want to plan, I have to plan because I refuse to be the maid of honor-slash-sister who let her sister get married at City Hall, when she could have had a really nice wedding with just a little bit of work."

"Ok, Hales you need to breathe."  
"You don't understand, this has to be perfect. It's her only wedding."

"It will be perfect, everything you do is perfect. But since I know you are going to freak out, I tell you what, I'll help you plan it. What are you working on right now?"  
"Really? You want to help me plan my sisters wedding? What do you want out of it?" she asked him in a suspicious tone, her eyes narrowed as she turned around to look at him.  
"I just want to spend time with my girlfriend. Now what are you working on?"

Haley stood up from the chair grabbed his hand and pulled him over to her bed. They situated themselves at the top, his arms tightly around her and the magazine resting on her legs. She sighed contently as she flipped open the book.

"I'm looking for a dress that would be Quinn's style. I was thinking that one." she said pointing to the almost regal looking dress on the page before her. The dress was so immaculate that whoever wore it was sure to feel like the most beautiful woman in the world for that day.

"She can't wear that dress." he stated simply before flipping the page.

"Why not? She would look great in that dress and I think she would really like and her fiance is rich, it's not like she wouldn't have the money to buy it. So why, can't she get it? Give me one good reason why she can't."

"She can't wear that one because that is the dress you should wear on our wedding day."

Haley stopped breathing and shook her head. Surely she hadn't heard him right. Even being in this relationship was a big step for him there was no way he could be thinking about marriage. Their friends and family didn't even know about them yet, this couldn't be possible.

"Nathan, that's not funny. A wedding isn't some joke that you can use as a punchline…" Haley felt his lips smash into hers, swallowing the rant that she felt coming on. His lips moved easily across hers coaxing her to respond. Before she knew it he was laying on top her of her and she had one hand splayed across his back while the other was tangled in his dark brown hair. The pair finally broke apart, both gasping for breath. Haley opened her mouth to speak only to be cut off by his finger pressed against her lips.

"I wasn't joking Haley. You should wear that dress on our wedding day."

Haley's eyes welled with tears as she thought about her future. Recently she had allowed herself to dream about being with Nathan for the rest of her life, him being some big NBA star and her writing and producing music. They would have a small family, maybe two or three children, and most of all they would be ridiculously happy. It wouldn't be perfect, nothing ever is, but at the end of the day they would still love each other and that would be all that mattered.

"Alright, I won't let Quinn wear that dress. It really is gorgeous. Do you think it would be bad luck if I wore it on our wedding day? I mean, you've already seen it and the groom isn't supposed to see the dress before the wedding day. Or is it just seeing the bride in the dress before the wedding day?"

"Hales, you are kind of freaking out. And I to answer your question, I think it will ok if you wore that dress. Besides, we could overcome any bad luck."

Haley sighed as she snuggled closer to him. They sat in silence for a few moments, each of them just breathing in the other.

"Nathan, how long have you been thinking about us getting married?"

"Ever since I convinced you that it would be a good idea for us to date. I just knew somehow that you were the person that I couldn't live without. I mean sure I have Luke and my parents but with you, you made my world complete."

"When did you get so cheesy mister? I love it that you think about all that stuff, it really makes me feel safe. So, do you have the wedding all planned out or do I get to help?"

"Nah, I think I'll let you help out a little bit. How about you pick out our first dance song?"

Haley laughed at Nathan's comment and began to think about the song that would be perfect for their wedding.

"Well, I know one that I would be good but I'm not sure that you will like it."

"Hales, I'll love anything you pick out," Nathan said placing a soft kiss on the top of her head.

"Ok, it's called Because of You, and…"

"The Kelly Clarkson song?" Nathan asked with a bewildered look on his face. Haley's face lit up as laughter began to spill from her mouth.

"No, it's a song that Roger Hammerstein wrote for a movie and then Tony Bennett recorded it, it's so beautiful." Haley quickly scrambled up from the bed and went to her desk to search through her cd's.

"Aha! I knew I had a recording of it," Haley said as she put the cd in the player. The soft music began to flood from through the room.

_**Because of You**_

_**Because of You**_

_**There's A Song In My Heart**_

_**Because of You**_

_**My Romance Had It's Start**_

Nathan instantly recognized why Haley had chosen the song as the lyrics began to wash over him. He locked eyes with Haley and gave her a reassuring smile to let her know that it was perfect. Nathan slowly pushed himself up from the bed and walked over to Haley, placing his hands on her waist and delivering a slow, emotion filled kiss on her lips.

"Haley James, may I have this dance?" he asked her after they parted, a small smirk playing on his lips.

"Why yes, Nathan Scott, I believe you may." Haley replied with a smirk of her own before placing her hand in Nathan's now outstretched one.

Nathan maneuvered them into the center of the room and wrapped his arms around her waist as she flung her arms around his neck, both of them basking in the presence of the other and this new found security in their future.

_**Because of You**_

_**The Sun Will Shine**_

_**The Moon and Stars Will Say You're Mine**_

_**Forever and Never to Part**_

"I love you, Haley. I promise you that one day I will give you the wedding you have always dreamed of and if I get to spend the rest of my life making you happy, then I will feel fulfilled. I don't need to play in the NBA, all I need is you."

"I love you too, Nathan. Nathan, you have to know that I love you for who you are, basketball included. I don't think I would forgive myself if it was somehow my fault that you didn't make it into the NBA. Whatever happens, we'll make it work together, ok?"

"Together?" Nathan asked moving his mouth once again within a breath of hers.

"Together" Haley said in affirmation as she closed the final centimeters between.

_**I Only Live For Your Love and Your Kiss**_

_**It's Paradise To Be Near You Like This**_

_**Because of You**_

_**My Life Is Now Worthwhile**_

_**And I Can Smile **_

_**Because of You**_

**Present**

Haley ran her hands over the now worn pages which contained a cd and a page out of wedding magazine that contained the dress of her dreams. Haley did have her wedding planned out but it was a wedding to another man, a man who was never coming back, one that she certainly couldn't use now.

A knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts. Haley scrambled to put the book back in the box that had held it for all of these years. She pushed the back into its hiding spot and shut the closet quickly. She rushed over to the door, unlocking it to find Lucas standing on the other side.

"Brooke and Peyton are downstairs and judging from the fact that Brooke brought poster boards, I would say she is ready to get started with the planning."

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry I came in here to find that stuff and I actually fell asleep for a few minutes. You have my promise that I won't leave you alone with her again during the planning process , ok?"

"Ok, as long as we seal it with a kiss." Lucas said with a crooked smile as he leaned against the doorway.

"I think I can handle that." Haley said as she moved closer to Lucas.

Lucas took the initiative and placed a hand behind her head pulling her mouth as close to his as he could possibly get. It was times like these that he felt like he was going to lose her, that he had pushed her one step too far.

Haley allowed herself to get lost in the kiss, she allowed herself to block out the rest of the world and the nagging little voice in the back of her head that told her no matter how many times she told herself this was what she wanted, it would never be right.

"Haley James, soon to be Scott, you better get your butt down here or I'm going to plan everything without you!" Brooke's voice shouted from the bottom of the stairs interrupting the moment between Lucas and Haley. Both of burst out laughing at Brooke's antics.

"Are you going to be alright up here? I will try to see if she will just settle for planning the engagement party tonight. I'm not sure that she knows that everything doesn't have to be decided tonight."

"Sure, I'm just going to watch some ball. Maybe call my mom. Just come up and get me when they are gone."

"Alright, you don't party too hard." Haley said with a teasing smile.

"Hales, I love you." he said as she started to bound down the stairs.

Haley flashed him a brilliant smile. "Love you too Luke."

Lucas walked into the bedroom closing the door behind him. He turned to survey the room, noticing that the closet door wasn't quite shut. He pulled it back a little in order to get it all the way closed. When he pulled it back, he noticed the edge of blue box that he hadn't noticed before. He had a feeling that he knew exactly what was in that box and he had no desire to know for sure. So, instead of pulling it out as a part of him longed to do, he shoved the box further back on the shelf and closed the closet door. He leaned against the door and placed his head in his hands, they had made it this far, they had to be able to make it the rest of the way. Once they were married things would be back to normal, they just had to get to that point.

_**Because of You **_

_**There's A Song In My Heart**_

_**Because of You**_

_**My Romance Had It's Start**_

_**Because of You**_

_**The Sun Will Shine**_

_**The Moon and Stars Will Say You're Mine**_

_**Forever and Never to Part**_


	2. Hide Nothing

-1Authors Note: Thank you all so much for the reviews, I am glad to see that people are liking this story. This fic is definitely a departure from anything I have written in the past and this is probably going to be a pretty long fic, but I promise that everything will be sorted out sooner or later. I also promise that this is a NH fic, just stick with me on it. This chapter, especially the Lucas and Haley stuff, did not turn out how I had originally planned it but the characters had a mind of their own and I got tired of fighting with them. LOL. I am so sorry for everyone who is waiting for an AFY update, I promise it's coming. I have had some major writers block and part of the chapter is not turning out the way I want it to, at all.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, if I did Skills would be Jamie's Manny.

**Chapter 2 **- **Hide Nothing**

_**We live and we learn and crash and burn and we're gone**_

_**We take what we know and we learn as we go and we run**_

_**Run until the day**_

_**We can see who we are**_

_**Have the final say**_

_**We keep being who we are**_

_**As love lights the way to the last day**_

_**And no one can take it away**_

_**Run and hide**_

_**Don't hide at all**_

_**Change is coming, know it's nothing personal**_

_**Live our lives**_

_**Now hide it all**_

_**Change is coming, know it's nothing personal**_

_**Hide Nothing by Further Seems Forever**_

"Ok, so the colors are set, even though I'm still not sure about them Hales, so now we need to set the guest list and Peyton and I are taking care of everything else, so that would mean that the engagement party is all set." Brooke Davis rambled on as she sat in the lavish living room of Haley and Lucas's new home.

Haley sighed, only half paying attention to what Brooke was saying, it was just easier this way. She had done her part and decided their colors, white, deep green and deep blue, much to Brooke's chagrin. This wasn't how she had imagined planning her wedding day, she had wanted to be involved in every single part and have her fiancée right there with her. Instead, she couldn't fully bring herself to care and Lucas was upstairs hiding out. Haley forced herself to listen to Brooke and realized that she was going through the invite list.

"…Skills, and Nathan, of course, Fergie…." Haley nearly spit out the water that she had just taken a sip of.

"Nathan?" Haley asked as normally as she could, despite the fact that her heart was pounding in her chest and she felt the need to run away as fast as she could.

"Well, yeah, he is Lucas's brother. I couldn't imagine that Lucas wouldn't want his brother there to celebrate his engagement." Brooke said, quirking her eyebrow.

"Well, of course, it's just that we haven't heard much from Nathan since he's been in Charlotte, I mean because he's been so busy with playing and stuff, and who knows maybe he will be too busy to even attend but he should be invited, I mean because it would be completely weird if he wasn't invited. So, Nathan's invited. Ok."

"Hales, are you sure you're alright?" Peyton asked gently, her green eyes clouded over with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just really tired and this stuff is just really stressful," Haley said with a sigh. Peyton simply nodded at friend, not wanting to push, at least not yet.

"Well, the engagement party is all planned so why don't you go climb in bed with your boy and we will work on the rest of the wedding stuff later, ok?" Brooke asked, easily picking up on the change in her friend's mood.

"Thanks girls," Haley replied while getting up and giving each of them a hug. "I really appreciate everything. You both are the best."

Haley led the girls to the door seeing them out. After she had closed the door, Haley collapsed against it allowing the tears she had been holding in to spill over. It was going to be hard enough to through all this, but she wasn't sure that she was strong enough to handle this with him there. Swiping at her cheeks, Haley pushed herself off the door and headed towards their bedroom.

She allowed a ghost of a smile to cross her lips as she saw Lucas buried underneath the covers with the television still blaring. After changing her clothes, she flicked off the t.v. and climbed into bed. Haley laid there is the dark studying Lucas' face. He had been so good to her so many times, there was no way she was ever going to let him down or hurt him the way she had been hurt in the past. She really did love him and she knew he loved her, she just had to hope that one day that would be enough.

Haley ran a hand across his forehead, pushing the hair that hung there back. His blue eyes fluttered open and crinkled slightly as he smiled. He reached up to find the hand that was in his hair and brought it to his lips, giving it a soft kiss before entwining their fingers and placing their now joined hands over his heart.

"What time is it?" he asked, his voice thick with sleep.

"Late," she said, smiling at his almost child-like innocence. "But the good news is that everything is set for the engagement party." Haley blinked back tears and forced her voice to be light. Lucas' worried eyes swept over her face which was illuminated by the moon light shining through the window. He wrapped an arm around her waist and brought her straight to him. Haley buried her head in his chest and allowed herself to be comforted by the hands rubbing circles on her back. She knew she had to tell him, but it was going to end up hurting him just as much as it had hurt her. They were safe here, in their own bubble, no outside world, no distractions, and most importantly no Nathan to contend with. But that stability, that bubble that they had shielded themselves in was about to burst around them and there was nothing they could do to stop it.

Lucas waited patiently, knowing, trusting that she would tell him whatever had her so upset. Maybe this was all his fault, maybe he had pushed her but it had been a while and they had taken it one step at a time, together. He had loved her for as long as he could remember and now that he finally had her and she loved him back, he was determined to do whatever it took to keep her. He felt Haley shift in his arms and ducked his head down to gaze into her soulful brown eyes. He could read them easily, they were telling him everything without words even being spoken. Haley lifted her head a bit more to place a soft kiss on his lips, perhaps it was an effort to soften the blow they both knew was coming.

"The girls invited Nathan."

The words rang out across the room like a gun shot shattering a silent night even though it had been spoken so soft he barely heard her.

Lucas attempted to stay relaxed but failed miserably as he tensed up with his arms still around Haley. He pushed himself upwards to a sitting position. Leaning against the headboard of the bed.

"Tell them to uninvite him," he said as calmly as he possibly could. Haley let out a shocked gasp, that was not the reaction she had expected from him.

"You know I can't do that Lucas. It would lead to too many questions. Questions I don't have answers for."

Lucas let out a sharp laugh. "Questions you don't have answers for? Why don't you try telling them the truth Haley?"  
"That isn't an option and you know it. After all this time they would never understand, just like they would have never understood in the first place."

"They might have understood if you had told them, you don't ever give your friends enough credit."

"If you want to say something, Lucas, just say it." Haley said with an exasperated sigh.

"You didn't think I could handle it either, if I remember correctly."  
"Yes, because you took that news so well. Don't try to rewrite history Lucas…." Haley opened her mouth to say something else but snapped it shut quickly.

"Come on, Haley, say whatever you want to say."

"Fine, you know what I think? I think you are putting up a front and that you actually want him there so you can rub it in his face that you won."

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing. Don't try to deny it Haley, you want him to come, so you can romanticize everything about him, once again." Haley threw off the covers and climbed out of bed. Grabbing her robe off the chair, she wrapped it around herself as a shield.

"I don't want him there Lucas" she said in a small voice.

"You must Haley. Why else would you keep part of yourself closed off from me?"

"No, Lucas. Stop. You don't get to twist this around on me. You knew when we started this that there was always going to be a piece of my heart that stayed with Nathan. You said you could handle it and that we would get through it. And you what? We did. So, why now, when we are so close to everything, why are you doing this now? You really think I can handle this?" Haley raised her hand up to her cheek for the first time feeing the dampness that had accumulated there.

"Hales.." Lucas said, his voice strained as he climbed out of bed and walked over to her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, only to have her brush him off.

"Don't, just please don't. I can't fight over Nathan again. I just can't." Haley twisted the gold engagement ring around her finger before pulling it off and handing it to Lucas.

"Maybe you should just keep this for a while because I can't deal with you battling with a ghost Lucas. You know that I love you and you that I only want to get married once. We can't go into a marriage like this Lucas. I really thought this was all behind us, I really did." Haley turned to walk out of the room only to be stopped by his hand on her shoulders. Haley allowed her shoulders to sag in defeat, she hated fighting like this.

"I'm sorry, Hales." Lucas said as he put his chin on the top of her head, pulling her back against his chest.

The couple stood in silence for a few moments. "I still get scared of losing you. I know that Nathan is a big part of your past I can't help worrying that part of you wants him to be part of your future. I love you, Haley. I want everything with you but I don't want you to wake up some morning and realize you chose the wrong brother."

Lucas' words hung in the air. He was giving her an out, she realized that. She could walk out of this room and she could go find Nathan, except she couldn't. There was no Nathan for her anymore, at least not in the sense that there once had been. No, that Nathan was dead and had been for a long time. Besides, she would never crush Lucas like she had been crushed. It had almost killed her and Lucas had been the one to pick her up off the ground. She had an out, one she would never take because they both needed this, maybe it was cowardly, but sometimes safe had to be alright. Haley gave a small sigh and turned around in Lucas' arms. She could read the apprehension, the fear and the vulnerability in his eyes.

"I'm sorry too, Luke. I realize none of this has been easy for you either. Nathan is your brother and it's my fault…"

"I made a choice Haley, don't you dare blame yourself."

"But, I.."

"No. My choice, Hales, understand?" Haley nodded her head.

"I promise you that you have nothing to worry about Lucas. This, right here, is where I want to be. Can you forgive me?"

"Oh, Hales, I should be asking you that. I was such a jerk."

Lucas realized his hand was still clenched around Haley's ring. Looking in Haley's eyes he saw nothing but love shining back at him. He pulled back enough so that he could reach her left hand. They locked eyes again, a silent question passing between them. Haley nodded her head as Lucas slipped the ring back on her finger. As soon as he had finished, Haley threw herself in his arms, burying her head in his chest.

"We were both jerks. I promise I won't take that off again like that. If you really don't want him there I'm sure we could come up with something." Haley said, her words muffled by his chest.

"That's sweet Hales, but even if we could get it past Brooke and Peyton, that would never fly with my parents and you know it. So he'll come, he'll leave and everything will be fine."  
"Right, everything will be fine." Haley echoed, the doubt evident in her voice.

"I promise Hales, I won't let him come between us." Lucas said before giving her a soft kiss on the head and pulling them both back into bed.

Haley lay in bed hours later, reliving the fight over and over. She was still mad at him but he was scared and she really couldn't blame him for that. He had never been alright with her and Nathan…

"_Nathan what time is it?" Haley asked reached her arm over his body in an attempt to grab her phone which sat on the table next to him._

"_It's time to watch another movie, unless you have other ideas." Nathan said grinning and wiggling his eyebrows suggestively._

"_Nathan, I'm serious. My letter from Duke is supposed to be here any day. The letter that is going to determine our future."_

_Nathan flipped over on his side and looked in her eyes._

"_I want you to listen to me right now, Haley James. No letter is ever going to determine our future. If for some reason the admissions committee is insane and you don't get into Duke, we are going to make it work. I don't care if we have to have a long distance relationship, I will do whatever it takes to keep this going. I love you, Haley."_

"_I love you too, Nathan. It's just that I want so badly to go to Duke with you and be able to come to all your games and support you.." Haley trailed off as her throat started to constrict. It was hard enough being a few hours away from him now, she didn't think she could handle it if they were forced even further apart. _

_Nathan watched as Haley choked up. It was amazing that half a year ago she had just been Haley, a good friend who was kind of pretty and now she was Haley, the woman that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. It was funny how life could play those kind of tricks on you. He thought back to the day that he asked her out for the first time, she had just finished her shift at the café and was waiting for Lucas to pick her up but he had been there instead. He had offered her a ride home and it was then that he realized that she was so much more than anyone, including himself, gave her credit for. So, when he had dropped her off he asked her out to dinner. One dinner led to the next and here it was six months later and they were starting to plan their future together. One day he was going to have to remember to thank his brother for being late that day. Although, he was confident that fate would have brought him and Haley together somehow. After all, there is no fighting fate, fate always wins._

_Nathan wiped the tear that slid down Haley's cheek. He leaned over her, holding his weight on his forearms so that he wouldn't crush her tiny form. Lowering his face to hers, he kissed her softly, in a comforting manner. _

"_I'm not going anywhere, Hales. This is it for me." Nathan said as he let his deep blue eyes bore into her soft brown ones, silently conveying his every hope and dream. It was a big realization for him that his every dream now included Haley. Haley nodded her head in affirmation, accepting his words as the truth._

"_Now let's go see if that letter from Duke is here." Nathan said scooping her off the bed and placing her on the floor in front of him. _

_Haley stood in the room, the small white envelope in her hands. She couldn't believe it, she really hadn't gotten in. Nathan was going to be at Duke all alone, surrounded by hundreds upon hundreds of groupies because she was too dumb. _

"_You going to open that or are you waiting for it to grow some lips and tell you what's on the inside?" Nathan said with a smirk while leaning against the door jam._

"_Of course I'm not expecting it to grow lips, besides if it was going to tell me something it would have to grow a brain too!" Dang, that had really sounded better in her head. _

_Nathan strode over to her, taking her small frame within his arms. _

"_Why haven't you opened it yet?"  
"Because I already know what it's going to say. I didn't get in, it's a small envelope and everyone knows that only losers get small envelopes." Haley exclaimed from her position against his chest._

"_That's not necessarily true, Hales. Especially when you apply early." Haley simply sighed, obviously not believing a word he was saying._

"_You want me to open it for you?" Instead of answering, she simply handed him the envelope. He ripped it open, quickly scanning the contents. Of course his girl had gotten in. _

"_Well baby, it looks like you are really stuck with me. Think we can convince your parents to let us share an apartment off campus?" Haley jerked away from him, her mouth open, staring in disbelief._

"_Off campus? You mean I got in?!" Nathan laughed at her enthusiasm as he swept her up in his arms. It was so amazing to him that someone so great could love him. He was never going to let her go, ever, he promised to himself. _

"_Nathan, I think we should tell our parents tonight. About us, about it all. I know it's still new but we should tell them, then maybe they won't be as mad, I mean if we have good news to go along with it all and stuff." _

"_Anything you want, Hales. Anything you want."_

"_Ok, you can do this Haley. Just say mom, dad, Mr. and Mrs. Scott, Luke, I love Nathan and we're together and I got into Duke and I'm going." She felt Nathan squeeze her hand. He could act all calm, cool and collected but she knew that he was just as nervous as she was, it was impossible not to be. There really was no telling how their families were going to take this. _

_Minutes later as they sat at the table, Haley could feel her palms begin to sweat. She reached for her glass, tapping a fork to the side to gather everyone's attention. _

"_Oh our Haley-Bop is going to give a speech, Jimmy!" Lydia said with an amused smile._

"_Well, actually I just have some news. It's good news, not actually it's great news and I just want to tell you all and I hope that you will be happy for me, us, and be supportive…"  
"Uh, Hales, can you just tell us what's going on?" Lucas asked from his position across the table. Haley was always a little squirly but nothing like this._

"_Ok. I found out I got into Duke today and I decided to go because I'm in love with Nathan and we want to be together. So, yay!" _

_Lucas began to laugh as the others sat in stunned silence.  
"That's…so…great, Hales, you really had me going. You and Nathan." Haley fixed him with a level stare, compelling him to understand. She should have realized that this would be hardest for him. _

"_You're serious, aren't you?" Haley nodded and tears filled her eyes as she watched his eyes fill with rage. He stormed out of the room as everyone watched in horror.  
"I'll go after him." Haley said with a weak smile._

_She followed his path out of the restaurant, she could already feel his anger and she hadn't even reached him yet. _

"_Please Luke, please understand, I love Nathan."_

"_Well that's just fucking great, Hales. You couldn't even tell me?" _

"_We were just figuring everything out, Luke. It was just new and neither of us wanted to say anything until we were certain where things were going."  
"That's bull, Haley. You are so wrapped up in Nathan and his web of lies that you can't even see straight. I don't even think I know you."  
"Why? Because she fell in love with me?" Nathan asked as he emerged from the shadows. He had followed the two of them out there, not wanting to leave Haley alone to bear the brunt of his brother's anger._

"_No, because she fell for all the lies I'm sure you've been spewing at her. Because she can't see that you are going to hurt her. Because she's allowing it all to happen, she's just like every other girl who has ever fallen for the great Nathan Scott."_

"_Wow, Luke, it's nice to know what my own brother thinks of me."_

"_I love you, Nathan, but she needs someone to take care of her."  
"SHE is standing right here. Lucas, I can't believe you don't see how happy we are, or even worse that you aren't willing to try. Nathan is amazing, Luke, and I trust him with my life, even more I trust him with my heart." _

"_He's going to hurt you, Hales."_

"_No, Luke, he won't." Haley wrapped her arms around Nathan's waist bringing him as close to her as she possibly could. She knew he would never hurt her, he was her Nathan. Lucas stood watching the couple for a few more seconds before walking back inside, shaking his head the entire way. _

_As she snuggled her head into Nathan's chest, she knew in the very depths of her soul that he would never intentionally hurt her._


End file.
